Another Green Festival Draws to A Close

28 October 2010

Thank you to everyone who attended! Green Festival engaged with over 30,000 individuals, all sharing a commitment to bettering their communities and creating a cleaner, greener, more socially just world.

Highlights of the weekend included inspiring presentations from Ralph Nader, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! and Corporate Innovator Ford’s Sustainable Business Strategies Director, John Viera. Attendees also had the opportunity to test drive Ford’s newest line of hybrid vehicles, including the Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid, participate in an Old Timey Seed Swap and view the latest in eco-fashion in a number of stylish runway shows. Attendees also had the opportunity to tour an energy efficient model home, take free yoga classes and listen to great live music while sampling organic beer and wine!

A number of those in attendance purchased their tickets and received “GF Bucks” to use as currency in the Green Marketplace. Utilizing such a currency enabled Green Festival to contribute $20,000 to the green economy through the over 200 green businesses exhibiting. Through the “Pay it Forward, Get it Back” campaign, local non profit allies were able to accept donations, new members, and volunteers in exchange for Green Festival admission. One nonprofit ally, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, raised almost $1000 in new membership through the campaign. Another, Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light, used tickets to bring awareness to their petition to the EPA about the dangers of coal ash as well as distributed tickets among faith-based communities, often comprised of low income families. Other participating allies included the Capital Area Food Bank, American Rights at Work, The National Children's Museum, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and Anacostia Watershed Society.

Green Festival partnered with T-Mobile to recycle old, unused cell phones in exchange for free admission. A total of 960 cell phones were collected at Green Festival for recycling, aiding in the recycling of energy and also a significant amount of metals, including gold, silver, copper and palladium!

In a continuing commitment to green event management, Green Festival worked to achieve the highest possible waste diversion rate. We recycled plastics, cardboard, electronics, and more, and composted all organic material, including bio-ware, for a total of over 3,700lb of compost. Our waste diversion efforts would not be possible without the assistance of the devoted Green Team, composed of event volunteers. Thanks to you all for working hard throughout the weekend to make this event as sustainable as possible.

Thanks also to the many volunteers inside the festival who worked at resource recovery stations, stages, event check-in, media, and more. This event truly would not be what it is without your dedication, and we appreciate every one of you.

Congratulations to everyone who made this event such a success. We hope you left with new skills and renewed passion to green your lives, your jobs and your communities. Enjoy your goody bags of samples and check with us all year for exciting news and updates as we continue to San Francisco!